Science and Religion

There is an [1]article in today's Nature (starting on page 666!
:-) )which talks about the relationship of science and religion,
focusing on the stem cell debate. Note the quote from ASA member
Francis Collins.

Religion and science: Studies of faith
Embryonic stem-cell research is putting fresh strain on the
already fractious relationship between science and religion.
Tony Reichhardt explores how faith is shaping the ever-changing
landscape of bioethics.
When Pope John Paul II addressed the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences in 1992, he tackled yet again Galileo's famous battles
with the Church four centuries ago. In his talk, entitled "Faith
can never conflict with reason", the Pope was doing his best to
mend fences. Although science and religion form "two realms of
knowledge", he said, "the two realms are not altogether foreign
to each other, they have points of contact".
Despite the Pope's optimistic words, the tension between faith
and science never fully subsides. And as these realms regularly
come into contact, over everything from Darwin to Dolly the
cloned sheep, they sometimes collide with explosive force.
Today, with scientists manipulating the machinery of life as
never before, the debate is in full swing. Nanotechnology,
artificial intelligence, cloning, creationism and genetic
modification (see 'A recipe for disaster?') all test the
strained relationship between faith and advancing technology.
Today's frontline controversy stem-cell research has prompted a
wide range of reactions from religious leaders, much of it
negative. But the fundamental, religion-based belief in the
sanctity of human life, even at the stage of an embryo, clashes
in this field with another fundamental human desire: to
alleviate suffering and cure disease. The debate does not leave
room for simple answers, for individuals or society as a whole.
Francis Collins, head of the US National Human Genome Research
Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and a devout Christian, has
described himself as being "intensely conflicted" over stem-cell
research. "It is a classic example of a collision between two
very important principles," he says. The opposition to stem-cell
research cannot be dismissed as merely 'anti-science'. Most
religious traditions sincerely value medicine and science, and
make a serious effort to reconcile scientific thinking with
doctrine (see 'Science and the Vatican', page 669).
...

References

1. http://origin.www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v432/n7018/full/432666a_fs.html&filetype=&_UserReference=0A01016746B4D6B811D32F8514BF41B8BA2C
Received on Thu Dec 9 15:54:23 2004